Why Salesmanship Should Be Friendsmanship
It’s really hard to say no to our friends.
We don’t want to disappoint, let down, or otherwise make a friend of ours feel bad. In fact, we look for opportunities to make our friends feel great. That’s part of what makes good friendships; the innate ability we all have as human beings to spread niceness and good cheer to those we choose.
Wouldn’t it be easier as a salesperson if we could simply sell to our friends?
Certainly not every sale requires a close relationship. I’m not going to ask for a resume from the girl at Dairy Queen before I buy an ice cream cone. But in sales that involve a high degree of trust, all of us in the profession need to treat each person as if they’re about to be friends for a very long time.
Would you sell your product to your best friend?
If not, maybe it’s time you found another product.
– Bill Guertin is CEO (Chief Enthusiasm Officer) of The 800-Pound Gorilla, a dynamic sales training and consulting company and author of the brand-new book, The 800-Pound Gorilla of Sales: How To Dominate Your Market, now available from John Wiley & Sons. Find more articles and valuable information at www.The800PoundGorilla.com, or follow Bill on Twitter at www.twitter.com/800poundgorilla.
